Your Owen County Community Foundation

Procrastination

by Mark Rogers

Executive Director

Back on Wednesday, January 23, 2013, at 11:22:50 a.m., I started writing this piece in advance so I could submit it the week I was to be out on vacation. That would be this week. I have a tendency to procrastinate a bit, so I thought a head start would be good.

Ever since an incident back in Mrs. Rink’s second grade class at West Newton Elementary, I have enjoyed the excitement of taking projects (especially writing projects) right down to the wire.

Our assignment that fall was to read a book and write a book report. I chose a biography of Chief Black Hawk and then set about thinking about that book and the requisite book report. And then looking at the book and thinking about the book report again. The Internet didn’t exist then, so I don’t know what would have prevented a second grader from getting his homework done, but I didn’t – until the very last minute, that is. In a fit of giant red pencil fury, I wrote a spell binding book report (based primarily on the front cover art) and turned it in just under that same wire.

And in a decision that would curse me for life, Mrs. Rink gave me an A+ and chose my report as one of the “featured” pieces of work to be displayed on the classroom door for Meet the Teacher Night.

But back to the article at hand. After the January 23rd start, I didn’t look at the page until a random glance in February but didn’t type a word. Then I picked it up again on March 1st (still in 2013 – I put that there just in case) at around 4:00 p.m. I typed the date.

I’ve analyzed my procrastinating ways endlessly since second grade and have begun to realize there are varieties and styles to procrastination.

First, there’s the creative type where the delay is all about stewing on a concept and trying out approaches in your head and then using the fast approaching deadline as the catalyst to finalize your work with the help of some adrenaline.

And we have one of the more ominous versions where we put off things that symbolize some undesirable truth. “Getting insurance means I’m an adult so I’ve not quite checked that off the to-do list yet.” Or “Writing a will can mean only one thing. And I will ignore that thing. Hello, Facebook.”

The worst procrastination is that fear of failure variety. “If I never get to my homework, I won’t have to face the fact that I don’t understand the material.” “I’d ask her out but it’s just not the right time and then I can walk around thinking about asking her out without facing actual rejection.” Of course we never say those things out loud and often don’t realize that’s what’s going on deep in our noggins. And, “Hello, Facebook.”

Has all this self-analysis cured me? Pretty much, but I still enjoy the rush of an impending deadline.

Wouldn’t you know, it’s 10:34 p.m. on Friday, March 8, 2013. Gotta go. Right under the wire!

Your Owen County Community Foundation is committed to helping our communities become better places to live, grow, and work. We value effective, responsive leadership.

If you have an undesirable item on your to-do list and you’d like to check it off, like putting together a charitable plan as part of your estate – jus’ sayin’ – that might be on your list, then get in touch with your Owen County Community Foundation. You can call me at 829-1725, email me at mark@owencountycf.org, visit us online for some preliminary information at www.owencountycf.org, or stop by and see us in person at 201 West Morgan Street in Spencer (second floor of the Owen County State Bank building).